St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-30
THE TAX ON TOBACCO.
Severe OverhauIing of Blaine an,
His Followers.

His Followers.
To the Editor of the Globe.
Some of my Republican friends have
severely criticised my reference to
James &. Blaine in the letter published
in the DAILY GLOBE of Dec. 16.
To the innumerable Blainiacs who
have so long admired the Maine states
man that everything else is reposing in
a political eclipse under Blaine'S per-
Sonal shadow, have no explanation to
make. But wish to say few words to
those Republicans whose sight, hearing
and reason are still unimpaired. First
Mr.. Blaine is an intelligent, thoughtful
and careful man, one who always con-
siders and weighs his public utterances,
especially when interviewed concerning
an important public document upon
which the attention and thought of the
whole civilized world are fixed as they
were upon a presidential message that
defines the leading issue in an ap-
preaching national contest, in which
Mr.. Blaine himself is expected to take
the leadership of the opposing forces.
Second-He is thoroughly informed
as to the perniciOus effect of tobacco on
the human system. He knows that the
best medical and scientific authorities
of both hemiSphereS have pronounced
in unmiStakable terms as to its injurious
tendency and frequently fatal results.
He knows that it is crying public
nuisance all the way from the national
capital down to common public convey
ance. He knows that nine out of every
ten victims to the habit regret their
bondage to it, and admit that they
would rather their children should
avoid their example. He knows that if
woman had the ballot he would not dare
to advocate the increase of the evil, for
he is aware that it is diStaSteful if
not repulSive to all who abstain
from it. especially to women to whom it
has in millions of cases become the chief
bane of the household, causing aliena-
ton and frequently divorce between
husband and wife-fOr men insist upon
imposing upon their own wives indigni-
ties which they are too ''gentlemanly''
to inf1ict upon other women in public
and private cOnveyanceS and assemblies
where mo smoking is allowed" He
knows that through the efforts of our
best Christian women aided by a
growing sentiment in all Christian COM
munities that text books have been in
troduced in our public schools. CHASING
tobacco with alcohol-where it natur-
ally belOngs-and warning the rising
generation against its use. He knows
that to advocate the use and cheapening
of thesarticle by CHASING it with the
necessities Of life" is to go counter to
all the desires, moral instincts and aSpi-
rationS of parel is and teachers who
have the best interests of the young
men at heart. and who know by obser-
walton and long experience that the
cigar and deadly cigarette are among
their worst enemies.
He knows that his words will have
weight with the newly fiedged Blaine
lings in the next political campaign and
encourage those who have Just emerged
from wholesome school influences to
decorate their mouths with one of the
necessities of life' when they join the
''Plumed Knight torch-light process
sions. In short he stultifies his own in
telligence and cOnscience-what there
is left of it-and insults the common
sense and moral sense of the country.
and presumeS upon the ignorance and
stOlidity of large class of voters, whose
numbers he regards as a safe offset and
compensation in the way of political
results. He deliberately STILES his own
convictions and forfeits the respect of
the intelligent and Self-reSpecting
women and men of the land in order to
gain votes from the other element in
sufficient numbers to make him presi-
dent. 1t is the same device in kind that
he employed when he caused it to be
proclaimed to the SaloonkeeperS of the
nation, through an Associated Press re-
port dictated by himself. that he lodged
voting on the prohibitOry amendment
to the Maine state constitution. and it
will be the same sort of boomerang. And
yet this man who proposes to remove the
tax from tobacco in order that vast
army of imported miners and voters
may have cheap chewing and smoking,
strenuously opposed lifting the tax from
clothing and food, and from coal, for
which all the West is paying eXOrbitant
prices to the end that the millionaire
coal barons of Pennsylvania may pile up
more millions and that James q.
Blaine'S immense but undevelOped coal
fields in that state shall increase in
value. This is Mr.. Blaine's controlling
motive, and unless some lOftier one can
be made visible to the naked political
eye, the Blainiacs should club together,
form "Plvmed Knight sewing circle
and construct for their candidate fig
leaf, or tobacco leaf grown sufficiently
long and trailing to not only hide his
nude duplicity. but to prevent his get
ting his foot in his mouth when he
opens it in the presence of interviewers.
JAMES G. CLARK.
st. Anthony'S Park. Dec. 20.